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The President's Daily Brief
May 8th, 2026: Did Gulf Allies Force Trump To Halt Project Freedom?
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It's Friday, the 8th of May. Welcome to the president's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And yes, back on the road and coming to you from a nondescript airport lounge somewhere. All right, let's get briefed. First up, officially, Project Freedom was paused to give negotiations with Iran a chance. But unofficially, well, new reporting suggests the Gulf allies may have pushed back hard against the operation behind closed doors. Later in the show, the IDF says it's killed a top Hezbollah Radwan unit commander in a precision strike inside Beirut, marking Israel's first attack on the Lebanese capital in weeks. Later in the show, Ukraine sends hundreds of drones into Russia ahead of victory Day, reportedly hitting a key logistics hub near Moscow and striking a Russian ship capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles. And in today's back of the brief, Japan fires an anti ship missile during joint military drills with the US and allies near the South China Sea as regional tensions with China continue to rise. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. President Trump's abrupt suspension of Project Freedom, the U.S. military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, just 36 hours after it began, came as a major surprise to many. And today, well, we're getting new insight into why it may have happened. According to new reporting from NBC News, the operation may have run into a serious problem behind the scenes. America's Gulf allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, were reportedly furious that the mission was launched before full coordination had taken place. And if that reporting is accurate, it would represent the first major rift between the US and its Gulf partners since the start of the war with Iran. Now, publicly, the White House has framed the pause as part of a broader diplomatic push. As we reported earlier this week, the administration says negotiations with Iran appear to be making progress. And President Trump himself has suggested a deal could potentially be reached within days, although frankly, I wouldn't rush to the predictive markets to place that bet. But according to NBC, there may have been another factor driving the sudden reversal. The report claims that Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended the US Military's ability to use Prince Sultan Air Base and Saudi airspace in support of Project Freedom after Trump announced the operation on social media Sunday afternoon. Now, that's a big deal because this entire mission depended heavily on regional cooperation. Project Freedom was designed, of course, to escort commercial shipping safely through the Strait of Hormuz after repeated Iranian attacks against vessels transiting the waterway. The operation relied on American surveillance aircraft, fighter jets, refueling tankers and naval assets to create what Pentagon officials described as a defensive Umbrella over shipping lanes. But geography in the Gulf leaves the US Heavily dependent on regional partners. The Pentagon refers to it as Access Basing and Overflight, or abo, because, well, you knew there had to be an acronym. Without permission from countries like Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, American aircraft simply can't operate effectively in the region. In some cases, there are no realistic alternative flight paths. And according to NBC's reporting, Saudi leaders were caught off guard by the announcement of Project Freedom and angry that it had been unveiled publicly before all the regional coordination had been completed. The report says a call between President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman failed to resolve the dispute, ultimately forcing the White House to pause the operation in order to restore military access to Saudi airspace. Other Gulf states reportedly had similar concerns. Qatar was contacted after the operation had already begun, while an Omani official reportedly said the US Coordinated with Muscat only after the public announcement was made. Now, it's important to note that none of this means that Gulf states are suddenly siding with Iran. Far from it. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the uae, Bahrain and Kuwait have all openly supported various aspects of the American campaign against Tehran. Throughout the conflict, Gulf states have provided basing access, overflight permissions, logistics support, intelligence coordination, and diplomatic backing at the un. But Project Freedom may have crossed into something different. The problem is that Gulf countries have already spent months absorbing the consequences of this war. Iranian missiles, drone attacks, threats against energy infrastructure, disruptions to shipping lanes. Much of the region has been dealing with Iranian retaliatory strikes in one way or another for the past couple of months. And by this week, well, there were finally signs, at least it seemed, that things might be cooling off. Ceasefire talks were supposedly advancing. Diplomatic channels through Pakistan and Oman were active. And then came Project Freedom. From the perspective of Gulf leaders, directly escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz under American military protection may have risked reigniting the very cycle of retaliation that the region was trying to step back from. Because, from Tehran's perspective, Gulf states helping facilitate those operations through aerospace access and logistics or basing, could once again place them directly in Iran's crosshairs. And for countries like Saudi Arabia, that isn't some abstract concern. They've already seen critical infrastructure threatened during this conflict. They've already endured the economic and security consequences of regional escalation. Which helps explain why some Gulf states may have been willing to support pressure on Iran, including the blockade on Iranian ports, but less enthusiastic about an operation that risked resetting the conflict. If this reporting is accurate, it would represent a very visible reminder that even America's closest regional partners may not share Washington's appetite for escalation when their own territory and infrastructure could end up in Iran's crosshairs. All right, coming up next, Israel launches its first strike on Beirut in weeks, killing a top Hezbollah commander, while Ukraine unleashes a massive drone assault deep inside Russia ahead of Putin's victory day celebrations in Moscow. I'll be right back. 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Hey, Bill O'Reilly here. Please check out my new interview series. We'll do it live. Each Thursday, I sit down with the most influential people in America. We're a no spin chat, no script. Anything could happen. You can find. We'll do it live on BillOriley.com, youTube or wherever you download your podcast.
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Welcome back to the pdb. After two weeks of relative quiet under the President Trump brokered Israel, Lebanon ceasefire. The IDF unleashed a strike on Beirut on Wednesday, eliminating the commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force. According to Israeli officials, the man killed was Ahmed Ghalib Balut, a senior Hezbollah commander accused of directing dozens of attacks against Israeli troops, including anti tank missile strikes, drone operations and the targeting of northern Israeli communities. This was the first major Israeli strike on the Lebanese capital since 8 April before the ceasefire took effect. And that detail is important because for the past two weeks there had been the appearance that both the IDF and Hezbollah had kept the fighting somewhat contained. But it still wasn't total peace as Hezbollah carried out lower level attacks along the Lebanon Israel border. Meanwhile, the Israeli military was hitting the Iran back attacked proxy's operatives and infrastructure in southern Lebanon, with Beirut remaining largely untouched. But this time, the IDF struck deep inside Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut and eliminated one of the men that Israeli officials say was helping rebuild the Radwan force. Balut was also reportedly busy reviving the group's long standing Conquer the Galilee invasion plan aimed at northern Israel. As a reminder, the Radwan force is Hezbollah's elite fighting unit tasked with cross border raids into northern Israel. It's a wing of the terror group that Israeli military officials have long warned would spearhead infiltration attacks. According to the idf, this latest strike didn't just eliminate a commander. They say it also hit a Hezbollah command headquarters tied to ongoing ceasefire violations. Israel made clear that this operation went beyond Balut alone. The IDF said the same strike killed two additional senior Hezbollah commanders, including a frontier regional intelligence chief and the Iranian proxy's aerial defense commander. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu leaned into the strike's success Thursday, calling Balut the senior terrorist who led the plan to conquer the north. And that, quote, no terrorist has immunity. Now, if you step back for a second, this strike does fit into a much larger Israeli campaign that's been unfolding for years now. Since 2023, Israel has targeted Hezbollah's senior Radbon commanders in an effort to degrade the group's offensive capabilities. But Israeli officials say few recent strikes have hit anyone operating at Balut's level within Hezbollah's command structure. In fact, this was one of Israel's most aggressive operations inside Beirut Since November of 2025, when an Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah military commander Ali Tabatabai, who was also in the heart of the Lebanese capital. And that brings us to Hezbollah's response, or more accurately, the lack of one. Because earlier in the war, a strike like this in Beirut would likely trigger immediate retaliation. We've seen before massive rocket barrages, drone strikes and sustained attacks targeting northern Israeli communities. But so far, well, that hasn't happened. Instead, Hezbollah appears to be deliberately trying to downplay the strike and avoid sliding back into full scale war with Israel. In fact, the State Department confirmed yesterday that it will host another round of talks between Israeli and Lebanese representatives through the 14th and 15th of May, marking the third round of negotiations in recent weeks. What's interesting is that these talks are still fairly limited politically. So far, the meetings have only taken place at the ambassadorial level after Beirut pushed back on efforts to move toward more direct engagement between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu. And that tells you where things still stand. Because while the talks could eventually involve an IDF withdrawal of southern Lebanon, a fully disarmed Hezbollah, and eventual normalization between the two countries, Beirut is trying to avoid publicly moving closer to Israel while the fighting continues. At the same time, Israel has made equally clear that negotiations won't stop its military from continuing operations against Hezbollah wherever threats emerge. So right now we've got the Trump administration trying to hold together a fragile ceasefire while Israel continues systematically targeting Hezbollah's leadership and operational infrastructure, all while Iran's terror proxy lobs low grade rockets at the Israeli frontier. Alright, I want to turn to Ukraine, where just hours before Russia's unilateral Victory Day ceasefire, Kyiv launched one of the largest cross border drone assaults of the war, challenging the Kremlin ahead of its the nine May celebr Russian monitoring channels and Ukrainian open source intelligence accounts say Thursday's assault targeted the NARA production and logistics complex southwest of Moscow. The sprawling Defense Ministry facility, which is the size of roughly 400American football fields, because you have to measure everything in the size of American football fields, supports Russia's broader war effort by storing and distributing military cargo for Russian forces. Kyiv appears to have deliberately targeted the logistical backbone supporting Russia's war effort while simultaneously sending a message directly to the Kremlin ahead of Victory Day celebrations. Russia's Defense Ministry claims the air Defense has intercepted and destroyed 347 Ukrainian drones across 20 Russian regions, Crimea and even over the Black Azov and Caspian Seas. Now that's an enormous operational footprint. This is Ukraine demonstrating reach, coordination and the ability to pressure Russian infrastructure far beyond the front lines. Explosions in air defense activity were reported in regions stretching from around Moscow deeper into central Russia. While the country's Federal Air Transport Agency temporarily restricted operations at dozens of airports. Moscow's mayor claimed 11 drones were intercepted approaching the capital with emergency crews responding to debris impact sites. But he notably avoided directly addressing reports that one of the strikes may have hit the NARA logistics complex itself. And that omission stands out because if the reports from the Kyiv Post are accurate and Ukraine did successfully strike a major military logistics facility that close to Moscow ahead of Victory Day celebrations, well, that creates a serious optics problem for the Kremlin, especially at a moment when Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to project control and stability and security inside Russia. And the operation didn't stop with logistics, infrastructure. Ukraine's General Staff says forces struck a Russian Karakurt class ship near the naval base in Dagestan. What makes that strike significant is that the vessel is capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles, which Russia has repeatedly used against Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure throughout the war. Now, the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, but it is another example of Ukraine steadily expanding the battlefield beyond the immediate front lines. And the timing behind all of it is critical. This escalation comes right after Ukraine accused Moscow of violating Kiev's own unilateral ceasefire shortly after it began. You may remember Ukrainian President Zelensky pushed for what he described as a, quote, regime of silence beginning on 6 May, a proposal designed to test whether Russia was genuinely interested in pausing the fighting altogether. But according to Kyiv, the military recorded more than 1800 Russian strikes and attacks across several regions shortly after Ukraine Ukraine's proposed truce began. So Ukraine appears to be signaling that if Russia intends to continue fighting while selectively calling for temporary pauses tied to symbolic political events, then Kiev is fully prepared to keep escalating pressure within Russian territory. In fact, Zelensky warned Ukraine would respond, quote, mirror like to Russian actions and would determine, quote, fully justified responses. At the same time, the Kremlin is escalating its rhetoric. Moscow warned of, quote, massive retaliatory strikes against Kiev, including, including attacks on so called decision making centers if Ukraine disrupts Putin's parade. So with Victory Day just hours away, we're about to find out whether Kyiv will let Putin enjoy his festivities in peace. Or we'll remind him that wars don't stop on Moscow's command. Up next, in the back of the Brief, Japan, the U.S. australia and the Philippines conduct live fire military drills near the South China Sea. And Beijing was not amused. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment to talk about something very important for anyone who's on Medicare or about to sign up for Medicare. Now, here's the thing. When folks get Medicare guidance, they rarely consider this fact. Agents get paid by big insurance to sell specific plans. That's just how business works. So that advice that you may be getting, well, it's not necessarily in your best interests. 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Hey, this is Mike Slater. I have a podcast called Politics by Faith. I would love for you to listen. We take the news of the day and we run it through the Bible. What does the Bible have to say about this? Because there's nothing new under the sun. You read the headlines. Everything's all crazy. World's coming to an end. It's all in the Bible and after every episode, hopefully you leave with a proper perspective and a biblical piece. Please join us wherever you listen to podcasts and we also have a YouTube page as well. YouTube.com politicsbyfaith
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in today's back of the Brief, we turn to the South China Sea, where Japan has just crossed a symbolic line that's drawing an angry response from Beijing. During joint military exercises this week with allies in the northern Philippines, Japan's Self Defense Forces fired a Type 88 anti ship missile at a decommissioned Philippine Navy vessel, successfully striking the target in waters facing the South China Sea. Now, militarily speaking, the missile itself is not particularly revolutionary. The Type 88 is an older subsonic anti ship system developed in the 1980s with a range of roughly 112 miles. But the symbolism here is what matters. According to Chinese officials, this marks the first time since World War II that Japan has launched what Beijing calls a offensive missile outside its own territory. And China is reacting exactly how you'd expect. A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry accused Tokyo's right wing forces of fueling neo militarism, claiming Japan is abandoning its post war pacifist posture and accelerating what Beijing described as a dangerous regional arms race. The spokesman went even further, invoking Japan's World War II occupation of parts of Asia, including the Philippines, and accusing Tokyo of failing to properly reckon with its imperial past. Now, some of that rhetoric is, of course, clearly political theater. China routinely condemns military cooperation between the US and its allies in the Indo Pacific, despite its increasingly aggressive posture toward Taiwan. But beneath the propaganda, there's a more serious strategic reality taking shape. This missile launch was not an isolated event. It was part of the broader Balikatan exercises between the US and the Philippines, which this year included more than 17,000 troops. Notably, Japan participated as an active military partner for the first time, alongside Australia, Canada, France and New Zealand. The drills took place in the northern Philippines near the South China Sea and not far from Taiwan, in territory that sits directly along what military planners call the first island chain. It's a key strategic barrier viewed by Washington and its allies as critical to containing Chinese naval expansion. It's also worth noting that just days before Japan's missile launch, US Forces used the same exercises to fire a Tomahawk cruise missile from the Philippines for the first time ever, using the Typhon missile system, capable of striking targets deep inside mainland China. So from Beijing's perspective, this is not simply about one Japanese missile test. It's about the broader transformation of Japan itself and the expanding U.S. aligned security bloc taking shape in the region. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Friday 8th May. Now if you have any questions or comments, and I do hope you do well, just reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com and as we all know, Fridays mean new episodes of America's favorite weekend news podcast, the PDB Situation Report. Now I actually don't know if statistics back me up on that statement, but it seems like we should be America's favorite weekend news podcast. This weekend's episode launches tonight at 10pm on the first TV and as always, you can find it and past episodes on our YouTube channel. That's on YouTube, of course. Just search up at President's Daily Brief as well as podcast platforms throughout podcast land. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.